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From 'Dog Psychologists' to 'Badger Consultants' - weird businesses are on the rise

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It seems that businesses are specialising in ever-stranger niches. Badger consultants, dog psychologists and vibration consultants are just three of the unusual businesses that have joined more traditional British businesses such as plumbers and painters.

According to business insurer Hiscox, there has been a steady rise in the number of weird and wonderful businesses looking for insurance policies to cover their very specific operations.

Businesses that fall into the, 'you won't find many of those in the Yellow Pages' category include:

• Badger consultants: advising people how to keep within the laws protecting the nocturnal animals;
• Dog psychologists: analysing the behaviours and characteristics of troublesome pups
• Feng Shui consultants: visiting offices and homes to ensure a harmonious environment
• Home economists: the ‘behind the scene’ chefs who prepare the kitchen for celebrity chef programmes
• Kosher certification consultants: whilst unlikely to be Michael from the Apprentice, others are setting up business to advise on whether food is prepared in accordance with Jewish law;
• Vibration consultants: nothing risqué! These are people who advise on - and correct - vibration and noise problems for construction companies or manufacturers;
• Painting authenticators: the teams who see through art fraudsters to differentiate between true versus fake paintings;
• Saddle consultants: for equine lovers who want to ensure they’re having the most comfortable ride possible and that their horses have the perfect riding accessory.

However, even the quirkiest of professions have a serious side to them, says specialist business insurer Hiscox. Businesses of this ilk need to have the appropriate professional indemnity insurance (PI) to ensure they are covered for compensation claims from clients unhappy with the standard of work delivered.

Gary Head, Director of Business Insurance at Hiscox UK says: “The difficulty with such unusual jobs is that they often don’t fit in the pre-written rule-book. But, that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be any rules when it comes to negligence; in some ways, the more unconventional the job, the more you need to think about the hidden risks.

“In today’s compensation culture, it is unfortunately all too easy to imagine a customer suing their dog psychologist if their dog continues to eat their slippers, or somebody taking their feng shui consultant to court if they’re not happy with their home’s energies.”

Posted August 14, 2008